Search Ads 360 Floodlight conversions in Google Ads

When you enable auction-time bidding for any conversion-based Search Ads 360 bid strategy, all Floodlight conversions related to auction-time bidding are shared with Google Ads.

The shared conversions include purchase detail reports that may also allow retailers who use the shopping campaigns with partners feature to optimise bids and budgets, and report on the data.

In the future, all Floodlight conversions will be shared with Google Ads.

The Floodlight conversions are reported, along with Google Ads conversion actions, in the ‘All conversions’ and ‘Conversions’ columns.

Note that other Google Ads columns such as ‘All conversions value’ and ‘Cost/All conversions’ that are based on the ‘All conversions’ or ‘Conversions’ metrics will also include Floodlight conversions.

Which campaigns receive shared Floodlight data? 

Sharing Floodlight data with every Google Ads campaign in an advertiser allows Google to learn from more data and set better bids.

 

All Google Ads campaigns managed by a Search Ads 360 advertiser receive the Floodlight conversion data in Google Ads. This means that every Google Ads account and every Google Ads campaign that is managed in a Search Ads 360 advertiser can report on all Floodlight conversions. 

 

Within an account, the Floodlight conversion data is reported in the Google Ads ‘All conversions’ and ‘Conversions’ columns of every campaign in an account, even if the campaign isn't managed by a Search Ads 360 bid strategy. 

 

Floodlight data will be passed automatically from Search Ads 360 to the appropriate Google Ads account once the account accepts the link to Search Ads 360. Previously reported Google Ads conversions will no longer report in the ‘Conversions’ column.

 

Google Ads conversion tracking conversions will remain in the Google Ads and Search Ads 360 accounts, even after the ‘Conversions’ column has changed. To report on Google Ads conversion tracking conversion metrics, you can create a custom column in Google Ads or in Search Ads 360.

• Google Ads: Create a custom column where you select ‘All Conversions’ and then filter to the ‘Conversion actions’ that formed your previous conversions.
• Search Ads 360: Create a custom column for Google Ads conversions and select the conversions that you want to include.

Note: If an advertiser is authorised in Search Ads 360 to use auction-time bidding for Shopping campaigns, the conversion source of the Shopping campaigns will be changed to the Search Ads 360 advertiser’s default conversion goal.

Purchase detail reports are shared

Sharing purchase detail reports enables optimisation of automated partner bidding and budget sharing for Google's shopping campaigns with partners.

In Google Ads, the shared Floodlight purchase detail report information is included in basket key metrics columns.

 

How Google Ads uses conversion data

Google Ads uses aggregated conversion event data for the overall benefit of advertisers. For example, Google Ads Smart Bidding relies on aggregated advertiser conversion event data to improve overall quality and accuracy. Use of Search Ads 360 auction-time bidding will share Floodlight conversions to Google Ads.

Google may also publish conversion event statistics aggregated across many advertisers as a resource for the overall benefit of advertisers.

 

Learn more about how Google Ads uses conversion data in the Google Ads Help Centre.  

 

Floodlight conversion action sets in manager accounts

Any Google Ads manager account that is directly linked to a Google Ads account includes a Floodlight conversion action set if:

• Auction-time bidding is enabled in a Search Ads 360 bid strategy that manages bidding in campaigns of the directly linked Google Ads account.
• The manager account accepts the Floodlight conversions. Learn more about how an administrator accepts the conversions later in this article.

The conversion action set is shown on the Conversion actions page in Google Ads.

Manager accounts are required to accept shared Floodlight conversions

An administrative owner of each manager account that receives Floodlight conversions is required to accept the conversions from Search Ads 360. If the conversions are accepted, the manager account is linked to Search Ads 360.

If the link isn't accepted in the manager account, auction-time bidding won't be enabled in the Search Ads 360​ bid strategy.

Search Ads 360 will notify you if the conversions haven't been accepted.

If the link in Google Ads is removed, Search Ads 360 will continue to prompt the administrative owner to accept the conversions to continue using auction-time bidding. Note that the Floodlight conversions aren't removed from Google Ads. The Google Ads account and the directly linked manager account will continue to include the Floodlight conversion metrics shared prior to the date that Search Ads 360 was unlinked. In other words, the Floodlight data won't be updated beyond the date that the manager account is unlinked.

Link a Google Ads manager account with Search Ads 360

You must have administrative owner access to link a Google Ads manager account to Search Ads 360.

Even though your Google Ads account is already linked with Search Ads 360, the manager account isn't automatically linked to Search Ads 360. You'll need to grant access/link each manager account to Search Ads 360 to receive Floodlight conversions and enable auction-time bidding to use Floodlight conversions in Google Ads. 

1. In Search Ads 360, turn on auction-time bidding in an ROI bid strategy.
2. Click Yes I understand to confirm that you want to share the Floodlight conversions with every Google Ads campaign in the advertiser.
3. Sign in to your Google Ads manager account.
4. Navigate to the Linked accounts page.
   1. In the top right-hand corner, click the Tools icon .
   2. Under Setup, click Linked accounts.
5. On the Search Ads 360 card, click Details.
6. Under Link requests, click Accept for each Search Ads 360 advertiser.

Offline conversions and auction-time bidding

To be considered for use in auction-time bidding, offline conversions must be uploaded to Search Ads 360 within 14 days of the conversion timestamp.

Stop sharing conversions with Google Ads

If you want to stop sharing conversions with Google Ads, you must disable auction-time bidding in all of your Search Ads 360 bid strategies. Learn more about how to stop sharing Floodlight conversions with Google Ads.